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Dr. John Talks About Baby Unplugged on Fox19 in Cincinnati

The Baby Unplugged board book series for toddlers is the brain child of Dr. John Hutton, a pediatrician and children's bookstore owner in Cincinnati, Ohio. Baby Unplugged focuses on the importance of keeping young children away from the increasing influence of screens -- and remind their parents of other childhood joys.

Dr. John Talks About Baby Unplugged on KSL TV in Salt Lake City

Baby Unplugged is the brain child of Dr. John Hutton -- a series of books meant to take kids away from the increasing influence of screens -- and remind their parents of other childhood joys.

The books aren't just stories -- but activity guides -- each one pointing out the fun things that can be done -- like exploring the outside world, playing with a box or a blanket, or spending time with pets.

Dr. John Hutton Baby Unplugged: Tell Me A Story

Pediatrician Dr. John S. Hutton discusses the importance of "old-school," screen-free, primary experiences for young children, as celebrated by his award-winning Baby Unplugged series of children's board books. Dr. John is also the owner of the award-winning blue manatee children's bookstore and decafe' and affiliate (also award-winning) baby gift site, blue manatee boxes. This video was produced by Cincinnati Children's Hospital as part of their Tell Me A Story series about helping keep children healthy.

"This month, the journal Pediatrics published a study that used functional magnetic resonance imaging to study brain activity in 3-to 5-year-old children as they listened to age-appropriate stories. The researchers found differences in brain activation according to how much the children had been read to at home."

“We are excited to show, for the first time, that reading exposure during the critical stage of development prior to kindergarten seems to have a meaningful, measurable impact on how a child’s brain processes stories and may help predict reading success,” said study author John Hutton, M.D., National Research Service Award Fellow, Division of General and Community Pediatrics, Reading and Literacy Discovery Center, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. “Of particular importance are brain areas supporting mental imagery, helping the child ‘see the story’ beyond the pictures, affirming the invaluable role of imagination.”

John Hutton, M.D., clinical research fellow at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, co-owner of the blue manatee children’s bookstore, and author of the Baby Unplugged book series, says, “Babies only really process language when spoken to by a real person.” Audio, video and flash cards have no context to which the child can relate. What they relate to is their caregivers engaging them through play. Babies relate to holding familiar objects in their hands and hearing the words that label these objects coming from Mom and Dad. Apple. Shoe. Cup. All senses are engaged....The more you talk to your baby and engage in real-world playtime together, the more you support her foundation for learning as well as her social-emotional bonds."

An interview with Dr. Hutton centered on hisefforts through blue manatee press to promote shared reading experiences beginning in infancy-- as well as health literacy with the Love Baby Healthy Series.

By Claire Kirch, Publishers' WeeklyBlue Manatee, a small press affiliated with Cincinnati’s Blue Manatee bookstore, has found success in the marketplace by publishing picture books that educate parents about health issues while they read them to their infants.

By Maryanne Zeleznik, WVXUDyslexia is a lifelong condition that affects how the brain works, making it difficult to identify speech sounds and learning how they relate to letters and words. Joining us to look at dyslexia and what treatment methods are successful in helping those with the condition learn how to process information are Dr. Tzipi Horowitz-Kraus, Dr. Scott Holland, and Dr. John Hutton.

By Claire Kirch, Publishers' WeeklyConcerned about children’s brain development in an increasingly digitized society, pediatrician John Hutton, owner of Blue Manatee Children’s Bookstore in Cincinnati, Ohio, decided to do something about it.